Neighbourgoods

Inspiration

Our inspiration for creating Neighbourgoods was based on our desire to protect our community members, especially the elderly and those who are at high risk if they contract COVID-19. As well, we hope that creating this app that allows people to pick up groceries for others will reduce the need for people to go out as often, and hopefully speed up the process of putting the pandemic behind us and returning to life as we know it. Neighbourgoods relies on the generosity of its users, and we believe that our app will be able to foster an environment based on kindness and develop connections between neighbours in a community.

What it does

The Neighbourgoods app and web page will be where all business is conducted. Users can create an account, set up their personal information, address, and credit card information, as well as auto-deposit information. A user can post about their next grocery trip, and other users will be able to write out lists of what they need and send them to the shopper. The shopper will then purchase the items for each person, and then send a request for payment to each person they shopped for with a picture of the receipt attached to resolve any price discrepancies. Users will have the option to pay in the app when they accept the request for payment from the shopper. We would like to incorporate a direct message feature as well that allows users to discuss pick up or drop off for the acquired groceries among each other.

How we built it

The prototype app was built using Figma to lay out a general idea of how the app will function. We felt a prototype app to be the most beneficial to us so that there was a very clear idea about how exactly our app will work, and ensure no miscommunications among any team members. Additionally, react was used to begin the development of the web app, which will function simultaneously with the mobile app based on user preferences. An online editor, codesandbox.io was used to make the interactive dashboard where people will be able to post about errands and respond to others' posts about errands.

Challenges we ran into

One challenge we ran into was making the server public. The server was not able to be made public, as the UofT network from which we created it cannot be modified to support external access using port 80 on the local IP address. Next time it would be advisable to do this on a private network and to deploy it outward afterwards. The server is designed to work with the mobile and web app to enable real-time communication between users. While we were unsuccessful in the complete development of a mobile and web app, we made significant progress with initial design and coding, and our prototype app shows potential investors an enticing pitch about the possibilities our app creates given the proper time and resources to complete it.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Coming together as two teams of two, our group was able to create a bond very quickly and jump right into brainstorming and development, overcoming the challenges of remote work as well as not having the advantage of knowing each other before Hack the North started. We are proud of our group for working so hard, balancing schoolwork while still dedicating significant time to our project. We all learned a lot about new programs such as Figma, and are grateful to have had this opportunity to be creative and expand our knowledge. Neighbourgoods is a symbol of what can be accomplished with the right attitude and some hard work.

What we learned

We learned a lot about Figma and the many small details you have to consider when creating an app. For example, every time you create a new screen you have to double-check that the back button, as well as each button on the screen, leads to the correct page in the app. These details are something that we didn't expect to require so much planning and testing. Additionally, we each did research about how servers work as well as the rigorous process of designing a functioning web app that has many components.

What's next for Neighbourgoods

We hope that if our app is successful, we can expand it into a multi-purpose community support platform that functions as a sort of social media for daily tasks. For example, in the new age of technology and busy schedules, people often don't have a chance to really get to know their neighbours, and therefore don't know how to ask for help when they need it. With Neighbourgoods, a resident will be able to post about something they need help with, for example fixing a shirt they don't know how to repair, and any other resident in the local area will be able to respond back and offer their services for a small fee, or in exchange for other tasks. Other examples include lending someone driveway space for a night when their family comes into town or helping a new mother fix up a nursery. We hope that Neighbourgoods will create a strong network and sense of community in all neighbourhoods, and help people make meaningful connections with new people while also being productive and learning new skills.

Built With

• codesandbox
• figma
• ftp
• react.js